Druze community gathers outside White House over Sweida violence
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Around 100 American Druze marched to the White House, protesting what they called "ethnic cleansing" in Syria's Sweida.
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Druze demonstrators stand outside the White House calling for a halt to the killing of Druze in Sweida, Washington, United States, July 24, 2025. (Social media)
Around 100 protesters from the American Druze community marched toward the White House in Washington on Thursday, urging the Trump administration to halt what they called "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide" against the Druze in Syria's Sweida province.
The protesters raised both Druze and American flags and chanted slogans such as: "Druze need protection," "Save Druze lives," and "God bless the Druze."
Syrian community began arriving at the front gate of the White House in Washington, D.C., during official working hours, carrying banners demanding the protection of Druze and Christians in Suweida. pic.twitter.com/s4hlTDFlGg
— Rojava Network (@RojavaNetwork) July 24, 2025
The southern Syrian city of Sweida recently witnessed violent clashes between Druze groups on one side and forces from the defense and interior ministries, as well as Bedouin tribes, on the other. The conflict also saw Israeli intervention, including airstrikes on Syrian government military positions.
Staggering clashes toll
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on July 23 that the events in Sweida had killed 1,339 people over 11 days, though this death toll remains incomplete as there are still unidentified bodies and missing persons while documentation and verification processes continue.
According to the SOHR, the death toll is divided as follows:
- 657 individuals from Sweida, including 124 civilians, among them 10 children and 24 women
- 464 personnel from Syria's Ministry of Defense and security services, including 40 Bedouin tribal fighters and one Lebanese national
- 15 government forces killed in Israeli airstrikes, in addition to three individuals, a woman, and two unidentified persons, killed when Israeli aircraft targeted the Ministry of Defense building
- One journalist was killed during the clashes
- Government forces summarily executed 196 people, including 30 women, 8 children, and an elderly man, while Druze gunmen killed three Bedouin tribe members, among them a woman and a child
Despite the ceasefire, renewed tensions erupted Monday in northern Sweida, where intermittent clashes were reported near the towns of Umm al-Zaytoun and Shahba as government-aligned tribal forces attempted to advance toward Qanawat, the hometown of Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri. At least four tribal fighters were killed during the fighting, according to the Observatory.
The skies near Shahba saw an Israeli warplane flying overhead as it reportedly launched a thermal balloon in a warning maneuver, further underscoring the region’s fragile security situation.
